本研究論點為泰國自由貿易戰略是受到政治因素考量，而非市場經濟考量。依執政者的政權轉換來區分泰國不同時期的自由貿易戰略，從多邊／區域／雙邊層次探討泰國自由貿易戰略，研究發現泰國經歷多次政變後不同執政者上台，其所推行的自由貿易戰略受政權的轉變與政治偏差動員而改變其自由貿易戰略。二次世界大戰結束，泰國為美國地緣戰略盟友，美國期待其盟友在自由貿易的開放進程，有助於國內政治穩定與經濟成長，1960-1980年代末泰國所執行的自由貿易戰略，以沙立(Sarit Thanart)建構起的美國貿易安全聯盟的雙邊主義與多邊自由貿易戰略。1988年察猜(Chatichai Choonhavan)成為第一位民選總理，著重在印支半島的區域與次區域經濟核心地位，以建設性交往的外交政策與泰銖經濟圈強調區域自由貿易戰略為主，開放國內電訊自由化進程，並軍方與企業聯合進入緬甸、寮國與柬埔寨的電信特許產業。2001年塔信(Thaksin Shinawatra)與後塔信時期自由貿易戰略從商業利益的角度驅動，推動國有企業的民營化與服務業自由化以換取家族企業集團的商業利益，對內透過農業補貼政策以換取政權基礎。2014年軍人巴育(Prayuth Chan-o-cha)重新掌權後泰國自由貿易戰略暫停能源國有企業自由化進程，並推動綠色能源與航空特許重新恢復官商庇護網絡，在20年國家總體發展戰略中發現政治和經濟的權力集中，軍方國有企業與大企業集團處於影響自由貿易戰略的有利地位。

The present study aims to examine whether Thailand’s free trade strategy is driven by political issues rather than market economy. Using multilateral/regional/bilateral levels as tools to discuss Thailand''s free trade strategy, this study differentiates Thailand’s free trade strategies on the basis of regime transition. The findings of the study are that the plethora of military coups and change of leadership have influenced Thailand’s free trade strategy. After World War II, Thailand became a geostrategic ally of the United States, which encouraged its allies to open their markets to free trade as a way to promote political stability and economic growth. Therefore, from the 1960s to the late 1980s, Thailand’s free trade strategy was based on the Sarit Thanart’s bilateralism and multilateral free trade strategy of the U.S. trade security alliance. In 1988, Chatichai Choonhavan became the first democratically elected Prime Minister. He focused on the regional and sub-regional economic core of the Indochina Peninsula, the foreign policy of constructive exchanges and the Thai baht economic circle which emphasized on regional free trade strategy. He promoted telecommunications liberalization process, and then let military and corporation get into the telecommunications franchise industry in Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. In 2001, during the Thaksin Shinawatra and the post-Thaksin Shinawatra period, the free trade strategy was driven by commercial interests, promotion of privatization of state-owned enterprises and liberalization of service industry in exchange for commercial interests of family business groups, and through agricultural subsidy policies in exchange for the foundation of political power. After the military leader Prayuth Chan-o-cha returned to power in 2014, Thailand’s free trade strategy suspended the liberalization process of energy state-owned enterprises and promoted green energy and aviation charters to restore the official and business protection network, which was found in the 20-year national overall development strategy. Therefore, political and economic power is concentrated, and military state-owned enterprises and large business groups are in a good position to influence free trade strategies.